WASHINGTON –
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Pvt. Charles W. Smalley, 19, killed during World War II, was accounted for Jan. 14, 2025.
In the Summer of 1944, Smalley was assigned to Company L, 3rd Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division in the European Theater. After the successful “D-Day” landings on the Normandy beaches, allied commanders implemented a plan for an invasion in southern France, code-named Operation DRAGOON. On August 25, Smalley’s unit’s objective was to repel German forces from a mountain between Marsanne and the village of La Coucourde. An eyewitness reported that Smalley was killed by machine gun fire during the first ten minutes of the attack. However, the War Department listed Smalley as missing in action as of Aug. 25, 1944.
This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Smalley's case will be published once the family receives their full briefing.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaa or https://www.linkedin.com/company/defense-pow-mia-accounting-agency.